#and a handful of soulsborne villains…i THINK

[lycemagee]

OK BRAINSTORMING ACTIVATED FOR SOULSBORNE WITH IKEMEN VILLAINS

Part One?

Victor would be the guide, appearing often especially in the beginning of your awakening, his words senseless and mysterious, but kind and attentive. Would probably appear "randomly" but with a goal in mind that's not clear in the beginning. Probably the end boss you need to fight. Would make a huge fête about it and really dramatic. Ambiguous with his fighting style, I think he is very versatile and used Magic in the beginning but in the second phase prob a special kind of Weapon with bleeding.

"Thou... Are only... The beginning..."

Elbert would be a boss, corrupted by greed, imprisoned in his castle with his treasures, so that his greed is not able to reach the outside world. Prob a mage with a lot of stuns. Does not deal that much damage but has stacks to kill you instantly if you get hit too often. His "Treasures" would attack you too. Would call for Alfons when he is defeated asking.

"Al... Are thou... Beautiful?".

You meet Alfons randomly as a hermit (yes I have his card in mind let me alone), with a sharp tongue, polite words coated in Honey and Cynicism. His way of speaking is not fitting for a regular hermit, living deep in the woods or nature and he offers you 'Relief' (yes I have something like Fia in mind) that gives you buff but also some nerf. And information about a castle middle in the forest that belongs to a "Greedy Queen". Has probably some sad conversation after Elbies fight, maybe he waits outside of his chamber where MC and Elbie fight. OHHH OR BETTER AND MORE TRAGIC MC CAN SUMMON AL IN ELBIES FIGHT HOLY SHIT. After the last line of Elbie he would probably Deny it.

"No Elbie... not as beautiful as thou."

(I CRY WHAT HAVE MY BRAIN DONE HELPPPPPPPP)

William is another monarch guided by his blind belief in justice and plays the villain for it (Messmer says Hi). Known Victor for a long time and you get information about William from Victor in a melancholic way. Entering his place William will ask who 'he' sent now laughing and playing along, meaning MC is not the first one and probably not the last after their defeat. Will fight with his sword and some magic, able to make MC immobilized. When you get his whisper of an order too often, MC **** themselves.

"Hah... Checkmate... Thy first win... Old friend..."

Oke listen up, we talk about soulsborn like that means some body horror must be in and I see Ellis with his curse as perfect HAHA. His body was entwined by vines and pierced by thorns, his eyes kind and cold at the same time, his smile affectionate towards everyone, as his goal is happiness and delight. As a Wanderer he guided those who seemed lost and his poison of the thorns strong enough to immobilize the strongest enemies. His kindness seemed twisted, he guided those until they found their happiness and he guided them to eternal sleep, so they will never lose it. He will mostly fight with his hands in the first phase and will use his ranks and thorns in the second. They prob have some poison on it?

"Thy.... Most delightful... moment..."

[cassandraxiv]

We sat next to each other in the corner booth at the restaurant, just chatting. We had found over the past few weeks that we had so much in common, from loving the same video games to both practicing breakdance. And though I could not shake the feeling that I had seen her face before somewhere, I felt comfortable around her. Being with her almost made me forget that I was wearing my supervillain costume under my clothes.

"Say, Tara," I hesitated, "I was thinking, um... I have really enjoyed our past few dates..."

"I enjoy going out with you too, Liz," she said with that soft, kind voice of hers, "I never thought I would meet someone like you. We're like two sides of the same coin."

"I feel the same way, and I was wondering, would you like to make it, you know, official?"

She gently rested her hand on top of mine and leaned in. "Your place or mine?" She was so confident. I loved that about her. I leaned in as well, bringing my lips closer to hers.

We were interrupted by both of our phones going off at the same time. With an annoyed expression she turned away to look at her messages. I did the same. This was not entirely unexpected, but dammit, the League of Villains said they wouldn't need me for this heist. This was my evening off!

"I'm so sorry, Tara," I said while putting my phone away, "work emergency, I have to be at 125th Street."

"Yeah, same," she groaned. Why did her voice sound so familiar in that tone? "I have to be at 125th too, actually. Maybe we can share a cab?"

I suddenly became profusely aware of my spandex underneath my clothes. I had actually hoped to change in the taxi, equip my gear and charge up my powers. I noticed I had involuntarily been doing so already, as my hair was starting to stand on end. "Er... best not, I uh..." I fumbled for an excuse.

I noticed Tara look at me strangely. "Hey, your hair's a bit..." Her eyes suddenly went wide. "Wait... no way! Volta!?"

That's where I recognized her from! "Mad Dance!? You're Mad Dance!?"

"I can't believe it! My greatest rival and I've been dating you!" I prepared myself for... what, actually? A breakup? A beatdown? Would she use her powers in a crowded restaurant? But she proceeded to surprise me even more. "If I had known you played Soulsbornes too, I would have made references in our battlefield banter!"

I was dumbfounded. Was she... okay with this?

"The Defenders messaged me saying they were pretty much evenly matched with the League. Since I was the closest, they wanted me to come and turn the tide in their favour. I'm guessing the League sent you the same thing?"

"Basically, yeah..." I said, still not knowing what to make of this. Then I noticed the glint in her eye and took the hint. I slowly sat down again and let my built-up power ebb away. "I guess if we both go, they'll still be evenly matched, so there's really no point..."

Mad Dance sat down next to me and leaned in again. "So, your place or mine?"

[agent-cupcake]

Hi, love! I absolutely enjoy your Fire Emblem prompts, especially your personal opinions on the game/characters. I was curious what your opinion on Hubert is? I think he's a fantastic character and would love to know what you think. Thanks!

The best part about this ask is that my friend who I bullied into playing Three Houses really likes Hubert as well. The second best is that I told myself I wouldn’t let myself love someone with no eyebrows. But here we are.

Oh yeah, also, POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD -  Read at your own risk~

SO, one of the most interesting facets of Hubert’s personality is the conflict of who he sees himself as and the person he actually is. 

Hubert has an obviously negative view of himself, even going so far that he believes he lacks value outside of his duty to Edelgard. Aside from being trained from an early age to see to the needs of the Hresvelg heir, Hubert defined his childhood by failures. He doesn’t remember meeting Edelgard, but he remembers an event that happened sometime between ages 6-10 where he was unable to save her from being hurt and the subsequent punishment at the hands of his father. Hubert doesn’t mention happy memories, but recalls running away when she was taken to the Kingdom after the Insurrection of the Seven and spending days in the forest in a fruitless attempt to bring her back. I’m a bit confused as I can’t remember or find anywhere that Hubert mentions it, but I imagine there was a strong sense of failure in what events took place after her return even though he was unaware of what truly took place. Then there’s the secondary failure and guilt he seems to feel for his father’s actions against Ionius IX, although I would argue there’s also a strong sense of betrayal in that regard. After all, the traitorous Marquis Vestra was the one who molded Hubert into a person with the sole ambition of dedicating his life to the service of the Imperial throne. Interestingly, in a support with Hanneman, it’s implied that Marquis possibly took a role in the Insurrection of the Seven in order to protect something he cared for. It’s doubtful that the idea of Hubert’s father choosing the life of his son over the life of Edelgard was any consolation, however. So, given identity only in relation to the Hresvelg line and bearing the weight of all of these perceived failures, it makes sense why Hubert would disregard his own self entirely in favor of singular dedication to Edelgard. He makes it completely clear that he doesn’t value his own life or his own self. He doesn’t see himself as worthy of that. 

This perceived lack of worth is illustrated even more clearly in the way Hubert readily accepts the burden of doing terrible things to achieve Edelgard’s goals, all with the intention to spare her the weight of such sins. I am not trying to say he’s a good person, as Hubert does show glee in carrying out these grisly duties, acting as if it doesn’t matter to him. In some ways, Hubert probably does enjoy it, as it’s an extension of his duties to Edelgard that he knows only he can carry out. At the same time, his behavior feels like a portrayal of the person he presents to the world. Hubert doesn’t want to care about scaring people off from him, he doesn’t want to feel as if he needs others or can be swayed by petty morality, so he behaves as if he doesn’t. Yes, he’s happy to do what must be done for Edelgard’s sake, but not necessarily with the actions himself. All of this because Hubert accepts his place, he wholeheartedly accepts the belief that Edelgard should remain clean of the truly vile actions he must take. He accepts that his hands are already dripping red, that his claim to things like innocence is forfeit. He accepts that he deserves nothing more. 

Furthermore, I would argue that his disregard for himself goes farther than Hubert’s skewed concept of his own failings. There are many instances of Hubert mentioning his appearance, demeanor, and the overall impression he leaves in a negative way. He’s very aware of what people think of him in a way that indications a life spent enduring rude looks and cruel remarks, his flaws pointed out in the especially biting way of backhanded comments from smooth-talking nobility. It doesn’t help that he’s weird, either. Awkward, anti-social, odd interests... If he were attractive perhaps the strange personality could work, but from the very first time he’s introduced in-game, the point is drawn that Hubert looks unsettling. Not to mention that, considering how easily Duke Aegir was able to rally up the main Adrestian nobility against Ionius IX, I doubt that someone who was completely loyal to the Imperial Princess was well-liked. Hubert’s disdain for the nobility makes sense even without this context, but rejecting those who reject you is an instinctual aspect of human socialization, so I think it’s worth considering in his case. 

The person he portrays himself as - the person he sees himself as - is this weird and unsettling man who holds no value outside of what he can do in the service of Edelgard and the Imperial Throne. Hubert even projects contentment with being seen in this way, acting as if he doesn’t care about the reputation or the way people see him. If he’ll be seen as a villain regardless, he’s perfectly fine to use that role for his own benefit. 

Then there’s the other side of Hubert von Vestra. Insecure, uncertain of how to form bonds with people, uncomfortable with the idea of showing weakness or letting his guard down... In every support, the way he confesses is awkward in some way, stilted. In S-Rank with Byleth, he says something similar to the confession posing one of the greatest difficulties for him. But this is not a case of he’s damaged or too evil to love, Hubert just doesn’t know how. His only love has been in servitude (perhaps familial, once, when he was very young) and when this inexperience is combined with his insecurities, lack of belief that he deserves anything more than his accepted lot, and discomfort in the face of rejection or being scorned after letting his guard down, I definitely don’t see a copy-paste villain. Hubert feels human in this interesting contradictory inner and outer self. Unpleasant, rude, inconsiderate, but also shockingly soft, bashful, and caring. Honestly, I feel a little bad for writing him off so easily my first few playthroughs. 

Also, just a closing thought: Sexy voice. Hot laugh. I called it a Soulsborne laugh a while ago and I stick to it, but it’s a compliment. What Hubert von Vestra lacks in eyebrows, he makes up for in fascinating and endearing characterization.   

[royal-dragonslayer-ornstein]

///Alright, little update about the status of this blog. As I’ve mentioned before, I’d like to be active over here again at some point, though I most likely won’t be able to start writing here until exams are over (they come after the winter break, so that’s gonna take a while). I’m also not completely sure how motivated or inspired I will be to write new threads here, so I can’t promise anything.

Thinking about what’s keeping me from writing here, I think the main issue is that I haven’t known what to do with the actual main verses for a while. Ornstein’s timeline is a bit of a mess, it’s so spread out and it’s missing so many gaps (and I’m talking about the ever cryptic lore of Dark Souls as well as my own ideas for him) that I feel like there’s too much vagueness in his lifespan for me to properly develop him. His origins in the Age of Dragons, his life throughout the Age of Fire, his task to find Gwyn’s firstborn, whatever is going on with the Old Dragonslayer (I made the choice back then to consider it canon, might have been a mistake but I think I’m not giving up on it just yet) and what happened to him before and during DS3. I’m honestly not sure how to approach this. On the one hand figuring out the details seems like the obvious choice and maybe I can come up with better ideas now than in my prior years, but on the other hand I wonder if it might be best to keep certain stuff vague and not bother giving a half-assed explanation for everything. I’ll have to think about it.

Ornstein’s character is also a bit limiting in the sense that he mostly interacts with the gods of Anor Londo for the majority of his life (which admittedly I’ve grown to consider to be the least interesting time for me to write), he can have a couple of interactions with some human in the middle of a mission but unless this character is a big deal he’s unlikely to interact with them for long. Most of the people whose muses were deities of Anor Londo or related to them became inactive long ago or are currently in hiatus (which to be fair is true for a good portion of the RP fandom) and I do think that having so many stories over the years, even with the same character written by a different person, be cut short prematurely has been a bit discouraging. Not that I don’t understand, I’m not bitter (that’d be pretty selfish of me) about it or anything, it’s just an unfortunate part of every hobby.

So yeah, I definitely want to tackle those verses at some point. DS3 is the one I find to be most appealing to me at the moment because Ornstein can interact with all sorts of muses much more easily, and I find that chapter of his story to be pretty interesting, reconnecting with the world after a long life of being detached and fully dedicated to his duties, being forced to go back to his roots. I wasn’t able to start much stuff in that setting, but then again I didn’t look any further than the RPers I knew at the time (something I still try to fix), so maybe now that I’m opening myself up to more writers things will go more smoothly.

It’s worth mentioning that both of my Villain AUs, Eraser of Mankind and Usurper King, are something I have enjoyed writing a lot more than the main verses in the past years, but I also feel like I’m out of ideas for them. There’s not a lot of people I really got to explore them in depth with, so I’m always willing to do more stuff with it, but at the same time I can’t help but feel like it’s a bit formulaic. I need to think of new ideas to do with those AUs.

Bloodborne Verse is the one I feel most inspired to write lately, though anyone who’s seen the OC I made a new blog for this year could probably have guessed that. I feel a little conflicted that this AU is much better developed and is more coherent than the actual main verses of this blog, and I won’t lie I’ve struggled a bit with that. I’m actually writing this one in a few threads (not in Tumblr) with some friends that aren’t on this website anymore. Now that I’ve approached a whole bunch of other soulsborne and eldritch roleplayers maybe I could start new threads for this verse with Ornstein, though I need to come up with a few ideas.

Weirdly enough, I’m feeling pretty inspired to write his full beast form (oh, and for anyone who isn’t familiar, Ornstein’s beasthood is a very peculiar version of the darkbeast, that follows a cycle of transformation more similar to the traditional stories of lycanthropy, in which it builds up gradually until he transforms and goes berserk, then later when he’s exhausted he turns back human and the cycle begins again). In fact if people are interested I’m considering writing a variety of threads in which he goes on a rampage through Yharnam and having that be his first meeting with any new muses he interacts with. So by all means feel free to message me if the idea interests you.